I was thinking, if I could write a letter to Antoine Winfield to try and convince him to come to Seattle like back in the old days before the internet made it seem creepy to do so (LOL), what would I say? Well, here's what I would say to him.

Dear Mr. Winfield,

When word broke that the Vikings handed you your release on March 12th, the 12th Man immediately perked up and thought about the possibilities. This is a very smart fan base, one that actually knows about other teams and players around the league. A lot of that has to do with years of futility, spent toiling away watching draft prospect after draft prospect, hoping for someone who could help turn things around. Even you, for instance, were once a possibility to help turn the Seahawks around coming out of college. Buckeye/Seahawk (they exist, we are everywhere) fans everywhere must have been going nuts in 1999 when the Seahawks were on the clock and you were still on the board. They must have gone even crazier when Seattle pulled the trigger on Lamar King of Saginaw Valley State. With all due respect to Mr. King, he's not the guy a grown man is writing an open letter to right now.

Ask any Vikings fan about you and your release is still a sore subject to them. As is your potential departure. This shows the type of player you were during your time with the Vikings and the player you still are. It also shows what kind of leadership you bring to the team and the respect you command in the community. All of these things must be tough to leave behind. You've got your family situated in Minnesota. I can't imagine this kind of decision. I uprooted once. From New York City to Pullman, Washington but that was just a kid going to college. This wasn't a man leading his family halfway across the damn country. I actually think that I respect you most for still considering staying in Minnesota despite the fact that you were given your release. I think that speaks a lot to the type of character you possess and it's impressive in this day and age.

But Antoine, the city of Seattle needs you. No, the city of Seattle deserves you. You've paid your dues to the league. You paid your dues to the great cities of Buffalo (love the grit!) and Minnesota. You and Seattle deserve each other. Now it's time to cash in on what you deserve. A legitimate chance at a championship. The ever elusive ring that's somehow, wrongfully, managed to evade you for the past 14 years. Over those 14 years you've made play after play at times when your team needed you most. The reckless abandon that you play with, while now being frowned upon around the league, is not something foreign to the Seattle Seahawks. Antoine, you were destined to be a Seahawk. Watching one of your highlight reels is enough to give you chills and make you wonder "wait, this is during an NFL game?!" all the while making you smile because you're glad that players like Antoine Winfield still exist.

It's important that you know that you'd be filling some pretty big shoes. Marcus Trufant, much like yourself, has always been a humble, hard-working guy who has deep-rooted ties to the area. He's played here his whole life, from high school to the NFL. Sadly, it seems that his run with the Hawks might be coming near an end, but I couldn't think of a more honorable replacement than Antoine Winfield. In a dream scenario, the man we call Tru would be on the sidelines helping coach the crew we call the "Legion of Boom" to a Super Bowl victory this season. I know you're a student of the game, so you've watched the film on the Seahawks secondary countless times, but you'd be a perfect fit. The passion, the physicality, the reckless abandon, you've all got that gift. Who knows, maybe you could even teach them a thing or two back there. I wouldn't doubt it. You're that damn good.

Regardless of the decision you make (unless it's Washington!), everyone will understand, especially us Seahawks fans. At the end of the day, you've got to do what you've got to do as a man, especially one with a family. However, from someone who made that trip all the way across the country a few years ago, I'll tell you that the city of Seattle and the state of Washington is my "home away from home." Just ask Heath Farwell, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Darrell Bevell. It won't ever replace Minnesota in your heart, but maybe there's a special place for you in Seattle lore. A chance to be a part of history that not many get the chance to be a part of. This team and this city is waiting to celebrate that 1st Lombardi Trophy. They're waiting to have one of the craziest celebratory parades in sports history. Come join the celebration. Oh, and somebody's got to do the Bernie.

Im going to be honest though. As great as he was, I would not be heart broken if he didnt end up here. Age has its limitations, and hes up there. While I believe his production would remain adequate, I have to wonder if later on in the season, we wouldnt see Trufant 2.0 in the slot, a once great corner that time finally caught up with him.

I know my vein hope for Thurmond to turn into the corner he was suppose to be might be far fetched. But his time is numbered, and this is the year for him. He either performs to his expectation, or his career is shot. I also know hes the cheaper option of the two.

hawksincebirth wrote:So Russell has leverage but marshawn doesn't ? I thought its next man up. Hey we got t jack and bj Daniels right ??

Im going to be honest though. As great as he was, I would not be heart broken if he didnt end up here. Age has its limitations, and hes up there. While I believe his production would remain adequate, I have to wonder if later on in the season, we wouldnt see Trufant 2.0 in the slot, a once great corner that time finally caught up with him.

I know my vein hope for Thurmond to turn into the corner he was suppose to be might be far fetched. But his time is numbered, and this is the year for him. He either performs to his expectation, or his career is shot. I also know hes the cheaper option of the two.

I don't know Cartire, I think he's still got it! Tru was always a very solid tackler but Winfield can jar the ball loose and always seems to be making big plays, especially when the Vikings needed him most on D. If time catches up to him, I think we'll start to see the signs of it. Guys like Trufant, Madison, Surtain, Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, etc were all great corners who time caught up to around their 30's, but you saw the signs and the writing on the wall. That hasn't happened yet with Winfield. If anything, I think he's got at least 1 good year left in the tank and then maybe he starts to decline by year 2, if he gets a two year deal as rumored, but I doubt we'd see him just hit the wall right when he got here.

I'm a fan of Thurmond's talent as well, but I don't know about going into a season relying on him to stay healthy. He's a nice guy to have on the roster this season in that if he finally breaks out you've got an excellent nickel on the cheap. I think the team needs to cover themselves in case he doesn't stay healthy though. I like Lane a lot, but Winfield's a clear upgrade over Lane IMO.

NYCoug wrote:I'm a fan of Thurmond's talent as well, but I don't know about going into a season relying on him to stay healthy. He's a nice guy to have on the roster this season in that if he finally breaks out you've got an excellent nickel on the cheap. I think the team needs to cover themselves in case he doesn't stay healthy though. I like Lane a lot, but Winfield's a clear upgrade over Lane IMO.

I do think he would be an upgrade over lane. I was never sold on him. To lightweight for my taste. That being said, Im still holding out hope, that with the amount of draft picks we have, and the already loaded roster, we can trade up to the bottom of the 1st and grab desmond.

hawksincebirth wrote:So Russell has leverage but marshawn doesn't ? I thought its next man up. Hey we got t jack and bj Daniels right ??

NYCoug wrote:I'm a fan of Thurmond's talent as well, but I don't know about going into a season relying on him to stay healthy. He's a nice guy to have on the roster this season in that if he finally breaks out you've got an excellent nickel on the cheap. I think the team needs to cover themselves in case he doesn't stay healthy though. I like Lane a lot, but Winfield's a clear upgrade over Lane IMO.

I do think he would be an upgrade over lane. I was never sold on him. To lightweight for my taste. That being said, Im still holding out hope, that with the amount of draft picks we have, and the already loaded roster, we can trade up to the bottom of the 1st and grab desmond.

That'd be awesome/hilarious if there was a clause in Marcus' contract that says no matter what, the Seahawks have to draft Desmond whenever he enters the NFL Draft. A handshake agreement between him and Paul Allen for years of loyal service haha Don't know how I'd feel about Desmond in the slot as a rook though. On the other hand, Casey Hayward was one of the best #3 corners in the league this season and he was a rookie with much less hype about him than Trufant has this season so who knows.

After watching the attached video, it seems like the Vikings had him do a lot of blitzing which is something the Seahawks typcially don't do with their CBs. It would be cool if they were to utilize him in that manner as it appears to be a strength.

If Desmond's last name wasn't Trufant and ran a sub 4.4 at the combine he would be way farther down the CB list based on his play IMO. Winfield is a huge upgrade in the slot and improves our chances to get off the field on 3rd down, something we could not do last year that cost us several games. A draft pick at corner is still a high probability even with the addition of AW. Sign him!

12thMan1 wrote:After watching the attached video, it seems like the Vikings had him do a lot of blitzing which is something the Seahawks typcially don't do with their CBs. It would be cool if they were to utilize him in that manner as it appears to be a strength.

Found this when I googled "Dan Quinn corner blitz". From last season at the University of Florida.

Pretty funny comments from Muschamp when asked on what into the playcall on the Purifoy blitz off the edge on the first play. Joked that Dan Quinn never blinks when asked to pressure the quarterback.

"I always tell the players, 'Play aggressive, we're going to call it that way.' Dan and I were talking this morning, and I said, 'Let's bring the pressure.' Dan you don't have to talk out of it. He doesn't worry about covering them sometimes. It was a good call on his part, and Dan called it and we went with it. It was a fantastic call, good tone-setter for the game."

- Head Coach Will Muschamp

So who knows, maybe part of the reason the Hawks are in on Winfield is because of Quinn's influence and his desire to pressure the quarterback? Calling a corner blitz on the opening play of the game is pretty awesome and I could see Winfield being sent and dominating from play 1.

The longer this goes on, the more I feel like Seattle is getting played. Hope I'm wrong. I think it would be a good signing, and I still think he has something left. I also wouldn't be disappointed not to get him, and I think the last thing Seattle should be doing is entering a bidding war for the services of a 36 year old CB. I like this as a cheap, one year "one last run for the vet" type deal. If dollars and years start getting tacked on, then no thanks. Best secondary in the league either way.

DavidSeven wrote:The longer this goes on, the more I feel like Seattle is getting played. Hope I'm wrong. I think it would be a good signing, and I still think he has something left. I also wouldn't be disappointed not to get him, and I think the last thing Seattle should be doing is entering a bidding war for the services of a 36 year old CB. I like this as a cheap, one year "one last run for the vet" type deal. If dollars and years start getting tacked on, then no thanks. Best secondary in the league either way.

Every team gets "played" by agents. That's how it works, agents play one team off the other (or multiple other teams) in order to get more money for his client.

The question will come down to whether the Vikings or another team want to overpay for Winfield. Which the Vikings might because he's not only one of the best corners, he's a team leader. So his value is more in Minnesota than it is elsewhere.

DavidSeven wrote:The longer this goes on, the more I feel like Seattle is getting played. Hope I'm wrong. I think it would be a good signing, and I still think he has something left. I also wouldn't be disappointed not to get him, and I think the last thing Seattle should be doing is entering a bidding war for the services of a 36 year old CB. I like this as a cheap, one year "one last run for the vet" type deal. If dollars and years start getting tacked on, then no thanks. Best secondary in the league either way.

Every team gets "played" by agents. That's how it works, agents play one team off the other (or multiple other teams) in order to get more money for his client.

The question will come down to whether the Vikings or another team want to overpay for Winfield. Which the Vikings might because he's not only one of the best corners, he's a team leader. So his value is more in Minnesota than it is elsewhere.

Not saying it doesn't happen all the time. Just saying that's how I see the situation right now. Deal obviously not as "close" as the first reports suggested.

DavidSeven wrote:The longer this goes on, the more I feel like Seattle is getting played. Hope I'm wrong. I think it would be a good signing, and I still think he has something left. I also wouldn't be disappointed not to get him, and I think the last thing Seattle should be doing is entering a bidding war for the services of a 36 year old CB. I like this as a cheap, one year "one last run for the vet" type deal. If dollars and years start getting tacked on, then no thanks. Best secondary in the league either way.

Every team gets "played" by agents. That's how it works, agents play one team off the other (or multiple other teams) in order to get more money for his client.

The question will come down to whether the Vikings or another team want to overpay for Winfield. Which the Vikings might because he's not only one of the best corners, he's a team leader. So his value is more in Minnesota than it is elsewhere.

Not saying it doesn't happen all the time. Just saying that's how I see the situation right now. Deal obviously not as "close" as the first reports suggested.

Sound familiar? Remember when the Flynn to Oakland deal was "imminent"? With how cutthroat twitter, the sports media, etc. is now, everyone's trying to be the first to break a scoop. The line between Ed Werder and Incarcerated Bob is being further blurred. Let's hope that, like the Flynn rumors, the Winfield to Seattle rumors end up coming true, albeit later than expected.

Yeah, that's true. The only difference I see is that Seattle didn't really have anything to lose by taking their time with the Flynn deal, so I think in that case, it really was just a matter of ironing out the details. I don't like the smell of these reports that now two other "contenders" have entered the mix after the Seahawks/Winfield story was leaked yesterday. I see Winfield's team as having a lot to gain from putting out the word that the hottest front office in the NFL wants their guy.

I'm probably just being cynical. Would definitely like to see this work out, but again, at the right price. I have complete confidence that JS has set his number and won't budge from it. If Winfield walks to Minnesota or Denver, so be it.

I bet here's exactly what's happening with the situation: Seattle has a minimal offer on the table, and the Vikings (and possibly others) have a much more substantial offer already waiting for a signature. The direction from Winfield to his agent is to try and get a bit more out of Seattle, because that's where he wants to go, otherwise he'd already have signed back with the VIkings at this point.

I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers were 50% or more. The signing of the DE's recently showed that the Seahawks have no interest in a bidding war, and have given him their offer so now it's his decision of money vs contender. I'll be very interested to see which he chooses.

DavidSeven wrote:Yeah, that's true. The only difference I see is that Seattle didn't really have anything to lose by taking their time with the Flynn deal, so I think in that case, it really was just a matter of ironing out the details. I don't like the smell of these reports that now two other "contenders" have entered the mix after the Seahawks/Winfield story was leaked yesterday. I see Winfield's team as having a lot to gain from putting out the word that the hottest front office in the NFL wants their guy.

I'm probably just being cynical. Would definitely like to see this work out, but again, at the right price. I have complete confidence that JS has set his number and won't budge from it. If Winfield walks to Minnesota or Denver, so be it.

I just think this follows the fact pattern of a John Schneider free agent. Winfield wasn't on his free agent radar, he's still available, so Scheider becomes opportunistic within his value framework. I bet what's tearing apart Winfield is that his emotions are working both ways...he'd love the chance to play for a fun contender but also wants to finish his career in Minnesota.

NYCoug wrote:I'm a fan of Thurmond's talent as well, but I don't know about going into a season relying on him to stay healthy. He's a nice guy to have on the roster this season in that if he finally breaks out you've got an excellent nickel on the cheap. I think the team needs to cover themselves in case he doesn't stay healthy though. I like Lane a lot, but Winfield's a clear upgrade over Lane IMO.

I do think he would be an upgrade over lane. I was never sold on him. To lightweight for my taste. That being said, Im still holding out hope, that with the amount of draft picks we have, and the already loaded roster, we can trade up to the bottom of the 1st and grab desmond.

I hope we're not dumb enough to spend a 1st round pick on a slot corner, especially when we have Sherman at least 2 more years and Browner is restricted.